THE JURY

The 25 shortlisted films are subject to both a public vote and a review by our international jury - luminaries from the fields of film, arts, story & communications.

The Filminute jury is responsible for the selection of BEST FILMINUTE and the awarding of five Jury Commendations. Jurors are asked to evaluate the one-minute films with the same discipline and criteria by which they might evaluate a full-length feature film, animation or documentary. We expect the best one-minute films to "resonate" beyond one minute.

Jennifer Baichwal is one of Canada’s leading documentary filmmakers. Her eight films over the past 20 years, in collaboration with her cinematographer / producer partner Nick de Pencier, have won numerous accolades and awards from the likes of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Hot Docs & The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

She is best known for her ongoing collaboration with acclaimed photographer Edward Burtynsky which began with Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and continued with their latest film Watermark (2013) which has its world premiere at TIFF 2013, and its European premiere at the 2014 Berlin Film festival. Both films explore the intersection of humans and nature.

Ms. Baichwal sees her role as opening up a space for the viewer to think rather than advancing a particular position. Filminute applauds her approach and her powerful films. Coming off the recent win by a documentary filmmaker at Filminute 2013, we eagerly look forward to Ms. Baichwal's thoughts around the 2014 collection. Welcome Jennifer!

Isabelle Danel - FIPRESCI film critic and President of the French Union of Film Critics

For Filminute 2014, FIPRESCI (the International Federation of Film Critics) has nominated the French journalist, film critic and author, Isabelle Danel. Ms. Danel holds the distinguished position of President of the French Union of Film Critics and is a regular contributor to Premiere , Bande a Part and Filmoline. She is also the author of numerous French books on cinema including, 'Marylin Monroe de A a Z,' “Bluwal: Pionnier de la Television,’ and ‘Conversation avec Robert Guédiguian.’

In her opening remarks at the 2013 French Union of Critics Awards, Ms. Danel quoted the great French film critic Andre Bazin who said, “The function of criticism is not to bring on a silver platter a truth that does not exist, but to extend as far as possible in the intelligence and sensitivity of those who read the brunt of the work of art." With these words in mind, we eagerly look forward to Ms. Danel’s observations. Welcome Isabelle!

Kristen Schaal - Popular American actress, writer and comedian

With a big smile, we welcome American actress, writer, and comedian Kristen Schaal to this year’s Filminute jury. Ms. Schaal’s prolific acting career includes Mel in the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, as well as memorable roles on many other popular shows and series including The Daily Show, 30 Rock, Mad Men, and the Hulu original series The Hotwives of Orlando.

As a comedian, Ms. Schaal has performed across the U.S. and internationally including London’s Albert Hall, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the Melbourne International Comedy festival where she shared the winning Barry Award in 2008. Ms. Schaal has also performed in more than 20 feature films including Dinner with Shmucks, Despicable Me 2, and the upcoming A Walk in the Woods.

Ms. Schaal’s writing career includes work on South Park, Comedy Central Presents, as well as The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex, a (not surprisingly) very funny book she co-wrote with partner Rich Blomquist.

We received more comedy submissions for this year’s festival than we ever have in the past. It seems very fitting, therefore, that we welcome a great comedy actor and writer with worldwide appeal. Welcome Kristen!

We take great pleasure in welcoming Wain Choi to the Filminute 2014 jury. Wain is Global Executive Creative Director at Cheil Worldwide Inc. Cheil, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, was founded in 1973 and ranks as the one of the world's largest advertising agencies, with branches and partnerships across Asia, Europe, & the Americas. Wain's career has spanned multiple continents and his work with leading global brands has won him many awards including The One Show, Communication Arts, London International Festival, Clio and Cannes Lions. Wain also has the distinction of being named one of Business Insider's "50 Sexiest Advertising Executives alive." We're not sure what to make of THAT, but we thought it was worth mentioning. Google him... #Hawt.

Wain is an Executive Creative Director with extensive jurying experience including D & AD, CLIO Awards, the Marketing Awards Show (Canada), Cannes Young Lions, New York Festivals Worlds Best Advertising and many other Asian & Korean award shows. Filminute looks forward to the many insights that Wain's global experience and passion for creative will bring to our collective understanding of what makes a great one-minute film.

Khris Burton - Most awarded filmmaker in the history of the Filminute festival.

With 9 editions under its belt, FILMINUTE is more than ready to make space for one of its own shortlisted directors on the festival jury. There are many who are deserving, yet we had to pick one. And so we have chosen Khris Burton from Martinique whose 2013 film 'Maybe Another Time' scooped up 3 big awards - the most of any film at Filminute to date.

Winning the 1st Jury Commendation, the People's Choice, AND the Top Rated film, is not only super impressive, but leads us to believe firmly that Khris' take on this year's films will be extra valuable in terms of expanding our understanding of what makes a great one-minute film. Enlighten us Khris!

John Ketchum - Filminute Executive Director, Head of Jury

Sabaa Quao - Filminute Executive Director

2013 JURY

Richard Linklater

Filminute is greatly honoured to have Richard Linklater on this year's jury. The highly acclaimed screenwriter and director of 17 feature films was among the first and most successful talents to emerge during the American independent film renaissance of the 1990s. His films Slacker (1991) and Waking Life (2001) were groundbreaking and highly influential to many — including founding members of the Filminute team.

Linklater's outstanding “Before…” trilogy with Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy, which began in 1995 and finished with this year's Before Midnight, has averaged a phenomenal 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The series has been called “one of the finest movie trilogies of all time” by Indiewire.

The global independent filmmaking spirit that Filminute celebrates will no doubt be strengthened and inspired by the presence of this original, fearless, and influential filmmaker. Welcome Richard!

Tor Myhren

Filminute 2013 is thrilled to welcome Tor Myhren, President and Chief Creative Officer of Grey New York, to this year's jury. Grey was recently named one of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World by Fast Company Magazine. Tor, who made Fortune Magazine’s “40 under 40” as well as their “Creativity 50” list (honouring the most influential creative minds), is best known for his groundbreaking and culturally relevant work including The E*Trade Baby, and the Obama/McCain ‘Race Switch’ posters (which became collector's items!).

The Filminute community will also be impressed to learn that in addition to shaking up and influencing the world of advertising, Tor is also an award-winning filmmaker. His first feature-length documentary, ‘City Lax: An Urban Lacrosse Story’ aired on ESPN and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Sonoma International Film Festival. There’s no question that Tor’s input at Filminute 2013 will advance the collective understanding and appreciation of what makes a great one-minute film.

Carmen Gray

FIPRESCI (the International Federation of Film Critics) has nominated prolific film critic and Dazed & Confused Magazine Film Editor, Carmen Gray. After growing up in New Zealand, Carmen spent many years working in Eastern Europe, Asia, and South America, before making London her home. In addition to Dazed, she works as a freelance critic and arts journalist for Sight & Sound, The Guardian, Screen International, Little White Lies and a host of other film and entertainment titles. With FIPRESCI, she has participated as a juror on a variety of top international film festivals including Toronto, Locarno, Reykjavik, and Warsaw. Carmen is also deputy film programme manager for education charity FILMCLUB UK which sets up film clubs in schools and other education and care establishments in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Carmen’s passion for global cinema and filmmakers with interesting things to say will no doubt make for some compelling insights into this year’s very international collection of films. Welcome Carmen!

Téa Obreht

Filminute is very pleased to welcome Téa Obreht to the 2013 jury. Téa was born in Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia in 1985 and has lived in the United States since the age of twelve. Her New York Times bestselling debut novel The Tiger’s Wife won the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction and was a 2011 National Book Award Finalist. Her writing has been published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper’s, Vogue, Esquire and The Guardian, and has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. She has been named by The New Yorker as one of the twenty best American fiction writers under forty and included in the National Book Foundation’s list of 5 Under 35.

Téa’s deep appreciation for strong, original narrative, mixed with her international background, make her a splendid addition to the Filminute jury.

Jeremy Azevedo

Gamers everywhere (and many of our animation fans) will be well familiar with Machinima, the dominant online video entertainment network for young males around the world, serving an astounding 2 billion + monthly video views and reaching over 200 million uniques each month with scripted episodic series, original animated content, weekly and daily news shows, and more.

Filminute 2013 is therefore very excited to welcome Jeremy Azevedo, Machinima’s Sr. Director of Original Programming, to this year’s jury. With a focus on premium short-form live action and animated content at Machinima, and as the creator of the "Machinima Interactive Film Festival" and the popular "Happy Hour" animation brand, Jeremy brings a novel eye to this year’s films and filmmakers. It’s just a matter of time before a Machinima film arrives on one of Filminute's annual shortlist of one-minute wonders. Enjoy the films Jeremy!

John Ketchum

Sabaa Quao

2012 JURY

Radu Jude

Filminute is honoured to have Radu Jude on this year's jury. Romanian films have enjoyed incredible international success in recent years, taking top prizes at the world's leading festivals in both short and feature-length categories. Radu's films have been an integral part of that success starting with his short 'The Tube With A Hat' which ranks as the most awarded Romanian short of all time, taking top prizes at a long list of leading film festivals including Sundance, Los Angeles and Hamburg. His debut feature film ‘The Happiest Girl in The World’ took the CICAE award at Berlin and the FIPRESCI award at Sofia. IndieWire calls his latest film, ‘Everybody in Our Family,’ a "Masterful Black Comedy." The film, which premiered inBerlin, has already garnered top awards at a number of festivals including Best Film honours at this years Sarajevo International Film Festival in July.

It's no surprise that Romanian films have also done very well at Filminute and thus we're extra thrilled to have Radu with us. With his deep appreciation for great stories and strong characters and his extensive experience with short format (he's also directed over 100 commercials) filmmakers and audiences alike will no doubt look forward to his input and thoughts on the films in this year's 7th edition.

Prasoon Joshi

Filminute is very excited to welcome to the 2012 Jury, Prasoon Joshi, Chairman of McCann Worldgroup India as well as an award-winning Indian lyricist, poet, and screenwriter. Prasoon, who has also served as McCann Worldgroup’s Regional Creative Director for South and South East Asia, is widely considered "The Ad Guru of India" with over 200 national and international advertising awards to his credit including the Cannes lion-winning 'Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola' campaign with Amir Khan. His Happydent television commercial is often heralded as India’s best ad ever. He was also named 'No.1 Creative director in Asia Pacific 2007' by Media magazine, and in 2008 served as the Cannes Lions Jury Chairman.

Prasoon’s remarkable talent and success in the world of advertising will no doubt be ofgreat interest and inspiration to the Filminute community. Yet, it’s his boundless creativeenergy and talents which extend to film (screenwriter & award-winning lyricist for songs in more than20 Indian films), and literature (has had 3 novels published), that make him a truly remarkable addition to the jury and one whose insights into the films in this year's collection we look forward to with great anticipation.

Welcome Prasoon!

György Kárpáti

FIPRESCI, the international federation of film critics, through its general secretary Klaus Eder, has nominated Hungarian film critic and FIPRESCI Vice President György Kárpáti to the Filminute 2012 Jury. György, who holds a PHD in communications, was the co-founder, publisher and editor of the Hungarian monthly movie magazine Mozinet Magazin, a film critic with Magyar Nemzet, the second biggest national daily in Hungary, and publisher of reviews, essays and interviews on the subject of films for a variety of periodicals and magazines. He is also the publisher-editor-co-writer of ‘The Grindhouse: The Forbidden Era of Film History essay book (2007) and has been a part of FIPRESCI juries in Moscow, Montreal, Turin, Genevaand Kiev.

Filminute is very pleased to continue its relationship with FIPRESCI and is delighted to welcome such a distinguished film critic. Gyorgi, who believes that we are now witnessing a rebirth of the short film format, is looking forward to judging this year's collection as our we to learning from his commentary.

Thanks Gyorgy and Welcome.

Arjun Basu

The festival is very pleased to welcome writer, editor and content director, Arjun Basu to the 2012 jury. Arjun is best known as the creator of "twisters" — "concise, 140-character stories; each self-contained and often of a humorous bent." These often moving and thought provoking narrative gems have garnered him legions of fans, more than 154,000 Twitter followers, and numerous awards and kudos including the 2010 Shorty Award For Literature.

Arjun also has extensive experience with longer form writing as a journalist and editor, and in 2008 published Squishy, a critically acclaimed book of short stories. In 2011 he was appointed Content Director at Spafax, a leader in the creation of branded content worldwide.

Many in the Filminute community will be familiar with Arjun's work given that one of his twisters was turned into LIFE, James Cooper's People Choice Award-winning film at Filminute 2009. The discipline involved in penning a 140 character story indeed mirrors that required of a one-minute film. We're thrilled to have Arjun's concise sensitibity and wit looking over this year's collection.

Lenora Hume

Lenora Hume is an award-winning, international TV and film executive who has worked in more than 18 countries and been the recipient of both Emmy and Gemini Awards. Lenora began her career as a cinematographer at Nelvana in Canada, before moving to production and eventually to a career spanning 16 years at Disney where she quickly rose within the organization becoming Senior Vice President Worldwide Production for both Walt Disney Television Animation and DisneyToon Studios.

In 2006 she became Executive Vice President, Production & Programming at HitEntertainment responsible for refreshing the company's production slate and building new brands through content development and acquisitions. Recently, Lenora returned to California and launched an independent production and consulting company. Her current roster of clients include TeamTO, one of France's premiere animation studios and Alloy Digital where she is producing the content for the hit YouTube channel Shut Up! Cartoons which has racked up more than 52 million views in 4 months.

Since our launch in 2006, Filminute has benefited from Lenora's advice and wisdom and we're very pleased to have her this year in an official capacity on our jury.

John Ketchum

Filminute Executive Director, Head of Jury

Sabaa Quao

Filminute Executive Director

2011 JURY

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is an Emmy award winning film producer and journalist who has worked on 14 films for major networks in the United States and Britain including CNN, PBS, Channel 4 (U.K.) CBC, Arte and the Discovery channel. In addition to the Emmy she won for her 2010 film Pakistan: Children of the Taliban, Ms. Obaid-Chinoy has also won numerous other awards including the Overseas Press Club Award, The One World Media Award, and The Livingston Award - considered the most competitive and prestigious reporting prize in American journalism. She is also a TED2010 Fellow.

Ms. Obaid-Chinoy's international background and award-winning work in more than ten countries "bringing the voices of the ordinary people faced with extraordinary challenges to television screens around the world" will no doubt be inspiring for the Filminute community. We look forward to the many insights her career and experience will bring to stories told in 60-seconds!

Welcome Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

Carlo Pizzati

Filminute is delighted to welcome Italian writer Carlo Pizzati to the 2011 Jury. Born in Geneva, raised north of Venice, and schooled in Florida & Washington D.C, Carlo then went on to complete a Masters in Journalism at Columbia University. His passion for writing, stories and adventure lead him to spend 16 years writing for Italian daily newspaper "La Repubblica" from cities as spread out as New York, Rome, Mexico City and Buenos Aires and across a diverse array of subjects. He's also produced and directed 30 investigative documentaries, been editor of Italy's most viewed website (virgilio.it), launched a Spanish language internet start-up in Madrid, and hosted an Italian daily morning political talk show called 'Omnibus.'

In 2010 Mr. Pizzati published Technoshamans a humorous non-fiction book that asks the question, "Will spirituality and technology do away with humanity?" In February of 2011 he published his first work of fiction, Criminal . He's also written the script for Non Lo So Ancora which will premiere in Italian cinemas in the Spring of 2012. He now devotes himself totally to fiction and screenplay writing.

Mr Pizzati's passion for great stories and uncovering the truth can't help but bring fresh insights to the one-minute film format.

Alin Tasciyan

As always, Filminute is honoured to have a representative of FIPRESCI (the International Federation of Film Journalists) on the jury. This year we welcome Alin Tasciyan, FIPRESCI's Vice-President. Ms. Tasciyan is a film critic with Turkey's daily Star Gazette newspaper and has also made cinema programs for Turkish radio. She has been an advisor to film festivals in Turkey and has served on many national and international film festival juries including Cannes and Istanbul. Earlier this year she received the honour of becoming the first Turkish institutional member of the European Film Academy (EFA)

Over the years, FIPRESCI representatives on the Filminute jury have contributed a wealth of insight and knowledge to the collective understanding of what makes a great one-minute film. Ms. Tasciyan's extensive experience and clear passion for film will no doubt strengthen that understanding even further.

Welcome Alin!

Eva Van Den Bulcke

Filminute is very excited to welcome Eva Van Den Bulcke, Co-Creative Director and Partner at Sid Lee, to our Filminute 2011 jury. Sid Lee is a dynamic creative agency based in Montreal with ateliers in Amsterdam, Paris, Toronto and Austin. With Sid Lee, Ms. Van Den Bulke has established herself as one of the most awarded art directors in Canada. The firm has gained an international reputation for its Euro-American hybrid culture and its award-winning multi-disciplinary approach which employs people from diverse creative backgrounds.

Ms. Van Den Bulcke's international background (born in Belgium, grew up in Canada, worked in Holland and France), five languages, and creative skills — including film direction and production — make her a perfect fit for Sid Lee's leading edge communication culture as well as for the Filminute jury! As an accomplished art director and a frequent member of some of the world's most prestigious juries, we look forward to her critical, global eye and the insights she will bring to one-minute films.

Jon Snoddy

Filmmakers will be excited to know that veteran entertainment executive Jon Snoddy has joined the Filminute 2011 jury. Mr. Snoddy is currently VP, Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development. He is a seasoned entertainment executive with broad experience leading creative and technical teams to produce breakthrough entertainment properties.

His successes include the launch of THX at Lucasfilm; concept design with Walt Disney Imagineering; and as SVP Design at GameWorks LLC, he worked alongside Steven Spielberg developing location-based entertainment games and attractions. Snoddy has also consulted on extensive entertainment industry projects throughout North America, Korea and Japan. He owns seven pending patents in areas including video game design, interactive digital cinema and astronomy.

Jon's work is ultimately rooted in strong stories. Alongside an electronics engineering degree, he also has a degree in Journalism.

Filminute looks forward to Jon's insights, including his thoughts around the growth potential and commercial viability of films in this year's collection.

Welcome aboard, Jon Snoddy.

John Ketchum

Filminute Executive Director, Head of Jury

Sabaa Quao

Filminute Executive Director.

2010 JURY

Neill Blomkamp

Filminute is thrilled to welcome Neill Blomkamp to the 2010 Filminute jury. Neill is the Canadian-based, South African director of “District 9,” the sensational, independent, feature film that garnered 7 BAFTA nominations and 4 Oscar nominations (including Best Picture). The film, which film critic Lev Grossman calls a “grimy little scare-fi thriller from South Africa” brilliantly explores themes of xenophobia and social segregation and is inspired by events that took place in Cape Town’s District 6 during the Apartheid era. The film was produced by independent film great Peter Jackson.

Watching Neill’s six-minute science fiction short film Alive in Joburg (released by Canada’s Spy Films in 2005) will be an inspiration to Filminute participants. The leap from the short film into the feature length “District 9” perfectly demonstrates the potential of a strong core story idea and how it may extend into a successful feature film with global appeal. We look forward to his judging and feedback on this year’s collection.

Mark Tutssel

This year Filminute is very pleased to announce that Mark Tutsell, Global Chief Creative Officer for Leo Burnett Worldwide, will represent the marketing and advertising industry on this year’s festival jury. Mark is one of the most awarded creative directors ever with his work garnering every major creative award in the industry, including the International Advertising Festival’s Cannes Grand Prix, 40 Cannes Lions, and the first-ever D&AD Black Pencil in Digital. He divides his time between Chicago and London, overseeing the work of Leo Burnett’s 94 offices worldwide.

Mark has also chaired and served on the advertising industry’s most prestigious awards juries, including this past May’s Cannes Lions where he was the Worldwide President of the Cannes Lions jury for film and press. Commenting on his role at Cannes he said that in today’s ‘Screen Age’, ‘film’ in all its forms “has taken on new meaning and importance” for the advertising and creative industries. Filminute shares Mark’s enthusiasm for the wide array of new opportunities that the Screen Age offers ‘filmmakers,’ and looks forward to his thoughts on Filminute 2010.

Jan Lumholdt

Filminute is once again very pleased to announce our cooperation with FIPRESCI, the international federation of film critics. This year FIPRESCI will be represented by Jan Lumholdt, the Scandinavian film critic for the popular Swedish daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. Jan is also the author/editor of books on Lars von Trier, Harriet Andersson, and Per Fly.

FIPRESCI’s ongoing support of Filminute underscores the importance that the world’s leading film critics place on the impact of emerging technologies and media platforms on filmmaking today. Thank you FIPRESCI and welcome Jan!

Ronald Bergan

Filminute is very excited to welcome film historian and critic Ronald Bergan to this year’s jury. In addition to his regular contributions to The Guardian, Bergan has also written over a dozen books on subjects ranging from Sergei Eisenstein, Jean Renoir & Francois Truffaut, to the Coen brothers. His Eyewitness Guide to Film (2006) has been published in 8 languages. He is also a frequent university and conference lecturer and has served on many of the major film festival juries around the world.

In 2009, Bergan’s Guardian article “One Hot Minute: How Long is a Piece of Film?” highlighted a growing sense among critics that films today often feel too long and that frequently it’s the result of director’s both forcing their films into a pre-established time frame as well as failing to engage audiences at the story level. The article praised Filminute’s collection of “technically impressive mini-movies” and the festival’s commitment and focus on ”story”. We couldn’t agree more! We are delighted to have Ronald Bergan join us on the Filminute 2010 jury.

Tanuja Chandra

Filminute 2010 is delighted to welcome Indian director & writer Tanuja Chandra to the jury. Chandra began her career in television before moving on to write and/or direct 7 feature films, including the 2008 film Hope & A Little Sugar which was her first English language film. She is one of a small number of successful women film directors in India.

Filmmakers from India embraced Filminute from the beginning, with a generous volume of films submitted, leading to some very strong shortlisted films including Missing, the People’s Choice winner from 2007. India also represents a significant portion of the festival’s international audience and we look forward to deepening the festival’s relationship with film fans in that country.

Tanuja Chandra was introduced to Filminute through our ongoing collaboration with the Santa Maddalena Foundation, the retreat for writers in Tuscany. We look forward to her unique perspective on this year’s collection.

John Ketchum

Filminute Executive Director, Head of Jury

Sabaa Quao

Filminute Executive Director.

2009 JURY

Hillman Curtis

Hillman Curtis is a designer, author, and filmmaker, and the Principal and Chief Creative Officer of hillmancurtis.com, inc. His numerous and prestigious design and communication awards, his pioneering work with Flash, and his widely popular books on design and film have earned him a reputation as a leading voice in interactive media and graphic design worldwide.

In 2005, Hillman Curtis published On Creating Short Films For the Web , an inspiring and instructive work on the subject. Since then, he has turned his attention increasingly to filmmaking and won acclaim for his documentary series; Artist Series, as well as an exceptional array of short films (one of which, ‘Soldiers,’ was adapted for the Filminute 2007 Shortlist).

Filminute 2009 is delighted to have Hillman Curtis on the jury. The shear extent of his creative experience mixed with his deep passion for film and the internet - “the most relevant medium of our time” – will no doubt lead to new and important insights for the world of one-minute films. Welcome Hillman Curtis!

Kamila Shamsie

Kamila Shamsie is a London-based, award-winning Pakistani novelist. Her first novel The City By the Sea, published in 1998 when she was just 25, won the Prime Minister’s Award for Literature in Pakistan and was shortlisted for the John Llewelyn Rhys award in the UK. Since then she has gone on to write four more novels which have picked up various awards and garnered her a selection as one of Orange's 21 Writers of the 21st century. Her latest work, Burnt Shadows, has been shortlisted for the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction and hailed by Salman Rushdie as “an absorbing novel that commands, in the reader, a powerful emotional and intellectual response.”

Filminute 2009 is thrilled to have a writer of such talent, ambition and cross-cultural orientation on this year’s jury. We look forward to her take on this year’s group of stories.

We would also like to thank the Santa Maddalena Foundation for its ongoing support of Filminute and for nominating Kamila Shamsie for the Filminute 2009 jury.

Tham Khai Meng

Tham Khai Meng is the Worldwide Creative Director of Ogilvy & Mather and widely recognized as one of the world’s most awarded creative directors. Advertising Age calls him “one of the world’s most influential people in the communication business.”

Born in Singapore, educated in London and based in New York, Khai’s career includes stints in Chicago, London and across Asia Pacific. where Under Khai's leadership, Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific network was ranked the top creative agency in Asia for 8 years. He has also chaired and served on a number of jury panels around the world including Cannes Lions, Clios, D&AD, The One Show, and The London International Awards.

Filminute 2009 is thrilled to have Tham Khai Meng on the jury and looks forward to the insights that his worldwide experience will bring to the review of one-minute films. Welcome Tham Khai Meng.

Pamela Biénzobas

The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) will be represented at Filminute 2009 by Pamela Biénzobas, a Chilean critic and journalist based in France. Ms. Biénzobas is a freelance writer for different media, and is co-founder and member of Revista de Cine Mabuse. She is also a vice-president of FIPRESCI and has sat on a number of prestigious FIPRESCI juries including Cannes, Toronto and Berlin.

The ongoing presence of FIPRESCI jurors on the Filminute jury is a point of great pride for Filminute, underscoring as it does the validity, influence and impact of the format on contemporary film culture. Pamela Biénzobas’ wealth of experience will no doubt bring new and exciting insights to the world of one-minute films.

Stefan Sagmeister

Filminute 2009 is very pleased to welcome New York-based, Grammy award-winning graphic designer and typographer Stefan Sagmeister to this year’s jury. Famous for album cover designs for Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones, David Byrne and others, his design firm Sagmeister Inc has also mounted Solo shows in Zurich, Vienna, New York, Berlin, Japan, Osaka, Prague, Cologne, and Seoul. Sagmeister Inc’s client list includes HBO, The Guggenheim, and Time Warner.

Stefan Sagmeister has also presented at TED, the highly acclaimed conference on technology, entertainment and design. His most recent visit focused on his book Things I have learned in my Life so far, an excerpt of which screened at Filminute 2008.

Sagmeister’s has said that, "Great design is that which needed guts from the creator and still carries the ghost of these guts in the final execution.” Such a statement could just as easily be applied to one-minute films. We eagerly look forward to his perspective on this year’s group of films.

John Ketchum

Filminute Executive Director, Head of Jury

Sabaa Quao

Filminute Executive Director.

2008 JURY

Paul Haggis

Filminute is very excited to welcome Academy Award-winning screenwriter, producer and film director Paul Haggis to the Filminute 2008 Jury. In 2005, he became the first person in history to have penned two consecutive Best Picture Oscar-winners for Million Dollar Baby and Crash. His other screenplays include Letters From Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers, In the Valley of Elah (which he also directed), Casino Royale and the upcoming Bond film Quantum of Solace.

In addition to numerous other prestigious international film awards including a BAFTA , the Writers Guild of America in 2005 awarded Paul Haggis the Valentine Davies Award for "bringing honor and dignity to writers everywhere."

Given the emphasis Filminute places on strong narrative, we look forward to Paul Haggis' insights and experienced eye for good stories.

Welcome Paul Haggis

Taketo Oguchi

Filminute is thrilled to welcome Taketo Oguchi to our 2008 jury. Mr Oguchi is editor-in-chief/publisher of SHIFT Magazine, hailed as one of Japan's and Asia's leading cultural webzines. Today, SHIFT serves as a vibrant cross point between Japanese and overseas creative cultures with a focus on international lifestyle, culture, art & design. The magazine is translated into 12 languages, features innovative applications like World Culture Maps, and generates 1,500,000 page views per month.

SHIFT is dedicated to promoting new artists and ideas and goes to great lengths to ensure that they are covering the leading creative events and happenings in Japan and around the world. SHIFT's own DOTMOV Festival in November happens to explore the possibilities of digital films and reaches out internationally with events in Sapporo, Sendai, Shizuoka, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka and Sao Paulo, to complement the online presentation of works.

Filminute welcomes Mr Taketo Oguchi and his vision of SHIFT as a perfect complement to the Filminute 2008 jury.

Francisco Goldman

The Filminute 2008 jury extends a warm welcome to Francisco Goldman, prize-winning Guatemalan-American fiction writer and journalist. Mr. Goldman is the author of three acclaimed novels about cultural and political conflict in the Americas: The Long Night of White Chickens (1992), The Ordinary Seaman (1997), & The Divine Husband (2004) and has been hailed by critics as one of the freshest and most original new voices in American fiction as well as a "literary emissary between North America and its seething Hispanic underbelly." - "Guardian" (UK)

Francisco Goldman began his writing career covering the Central American wars in the 1980s, first for Esquire and later for Harper's, the New Yorker, and the New York Times. Like other Latin American writers, his relationship to narrative journalism has remained strong, resulting recently in his first book of non-fiction The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop?(2007). The book, which began as an article in the New Yorker, is an account of the assassination of Guatemalan Catholic Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi Conedera, a crime perpetrated by the Guatemalan military.

We look forward to Francisco Goldman's worldly and insightful critique of this year's collection of one-minute films.

Filminute once again would like to thank the Santa Maddalena Foundation through whom the invitation to Mr. Goldman has come. The Santa Maddalena Foundation, a writer's retreat located in Tuscany, has supported Filminute since the festival's inception in 2005.

David Kennedy

Wieden+Kennedy (W+K) is one of the largest, independently-owned advertising agencies in the world. With offices in Portland, New York, Shanghai, London, Tokyo, Amsterdam, New Delhi, and Beijing, W+K is also one of the most awarded and respected agencies of the 20th century. W+K was recognized as AdWeek's "Global Agency of the Year" in 2007.

The agency was founded in 1982 by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy. The agency's memorable campaigns for Nike, ESPN, Coke, and Honda, among others, have left an indelible mark on contemporary culture, eg. "Just Do It". The agency's creativity extends well beyond ads and into the creation of original content in music, graphics, and film.

Filminute 2008 is thrilled to welcome W+K co-founder David Kennedy to the Filminute 2008 jury.

Andrea Dittgen

Once again, Filminute is pleased to welcome a jury member from the prestigious International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).

Dr Andrea Dittgen is a board member of FIPRESCI and head of the German Film Critics Association. She is also the editor of the German daily newspaper Die Rheinpfalz, and writes for the bi-weekly film magazine filmdienst. She has published a book on German silent movie director Franz Hofer and contributes to various books on Cinema such as the International Film Guide.

Ms Dittgen has been a FIPRESCI juror at numerous international film festivals including Cannes, Miami, Mannheim and Oberhausen.

As a journalist, film critic, and seasoned juror well-versed in the history of film, Ms Dittgen's comparative insights and opinions at Filminute 2008 will be highly valued.

Welcome Dr Andrea Dittgen.

John Ketchum

Filminute Executive Director, Head of Jury

Sabaa Quao

Filminute Executive Director.

2007 JURY

Michael Ondaatje

Michael Ondaatje is an award-winning novelist and poet. His Booker Prize winning novel, The English Patient, was adapted into a film by director Anthony Minghella and went on the win an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1996. Michael Ondaatje has also won numerous other awards for fiction and poetry.

Filmamkers also owe a debt to Michael Ondaatje for his book The Conversations: Walter Murch & The Art of Editing Film, an invaluable non-fiction work that explores the uniquely powerful role of the editor within the creative process of filmmaking. "This is a sublime example of how to produce a fearsomely intelligent book about the aesthetics of film-making." Sunday Times (London)

The invitation to Michael Ondaatje comes through Filminute's ongoing relationship with the Santa Maddalena Foundation, the acclaimed writers' retreat and foundation in Tuscany whose focus is on celebrating and promoting the cosmopolitan and global reach of writing today.

Samira Makhmalbaf

Samira Makhmalbaf is an award-winning Iranian filmmaker. In 1998, at the age of 18, Makhmalbaf's first film Sib (aka The Apple) was accepted to the official selection at Cannes Film Festival making her the youngest director to achieve that feat. Makhmalbaf has gone on to win numerous international awards including Cannes jury prizes in 2000 and 2003.

Widely recognized as one of the best directors of contemporary world cinema, Samira Makhmalbaf is also a leading light in the New Wave movement of Iranian cinema. Artistically, Iranian cinema is consistently ranked among the world's most important cinema traditions.

The Filminute 2007 invitation to Samira Makhmalbaf was enabled by Wild Bunch, a film company dedicated to the development of the radical, the innovative, the visionary, and the truly extraordinary in cinema worldwide.

Kevin Roberts

Kevin Roberts (http://www.saatchikevin.com/) is Chief Executive Officer Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world's leading creative organizations, employing over 7000 people in 83 countries.

Kevin Roberts is also the author of Sisomo: The Future on Screen, a book that looks at the central role of sight, sound and motion and the impact these element have in accelerating emotional connections in the digital age. In 2005, we first started exploring the significance of one-minute films as a valid, contemporary, and relevant genre. Our readings of Kevin Roberts and the concept of Sisomo were particularly inspiring. A great one-minute film will indeed bring sight, sound, and motion together to deliver a memorable impact.

Klaus Eder

Klaus Eder is the General Secretary of FIPRESCI (Federation Internationale de la Presse Cinematographique) , the international body of professional film critics and film journalists based in Munich.

Filminute believes one-minute films need to be critiqued at the same level of scrutiny as feature films.. Klaus Eder's presence at Filminute 2007, as well as the presence of the other respected jurors, sends a clear signal to filmmakers and creative producers worldwide that Filminute's core interest is in featuring one-minute films that reach the highest standards of quality available today.

Kenichi Kondo

Kenichi Kondo is a curator with a specialty in video art at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. The Mori Art Museum is one of the most exciting and innovative international contemporary art museums in Asia.

The Mori's acclaimed open attitude toward contemporary art and culture was clearly demonstrated in its massive 2006 Bill Viola retrospective and its 2007 John Wood and Paul Harrison Show, both of which Kondo was involved in. These and other exhibitions underscore the Mori's commitment to showcasing ground-breaking work from the contemporary, moving image field, as well as to providing an international platform for emerging and established artists and filmmakers throughout Japan, Asia and the world.

John Ketchum

Filminute Executive Director, Head of Jury.

Sabaa Quao

Filminute Executive Director.

2006 JURY

John Ketchum

Filminute Executive Director, Head of Jury

Sabaa Quao

Filminute Executive Director.

Ekow Eshun

Ekow Eshun is a Ghanaian - British writer, journalist, and broadcaster. Until November 2010 he was the artistic director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London.

Craig Davis

Craig Davis is Co-Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Mojo Australia. He was the former JWT worldwide creative chief.

Raul Galvez

Raul Galvez film writer/ director and musician as well as the founder of the Toronto International Latin Film Festival.

Santa Maddalena Foundation (2 votes)

The Santa Maddelena Foundation is an acclaimed writers' retreat and foundation in Tuscany whose focus is on celebrating and promoting the cosmopolitan and global reach of writing today.

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FILMINUTE is the international one-minute film festival that challenges filmmakers, writers, animators, artists,designers, and creative producers to develop and submit the world's best one-minute films.
WHAT MAKES A GREAT ONE-MINUTE FILM? The best one-minute films resonate beyond one minute and affect audiences the same way any great film does. The challenge, of course, is to do it all in 60 seconds - no more, no less.

THE 9TH EDITION OF THE FILMINUTE FESTIVAL has now concluded. Congratulations to Best Filminute winner Ignacio Rodo for his brilliant thriller TUCK ME IN (Spain) and to People’s Choice winner Andre Marques for his heartwarming film GRANDPA (Portugal). Congratulations as well to U.K director Ricardo Servini for winning the Top Rated award for his film EARTH’S LAST HOPE. This year’s CineCoup Prize also goes to Best Filminute winner Ignacio Rodo for TUCK ME IN. Finally, we would like to congratulate this year’s 5 Jury Commended winners: BUSKER(U.K.), GRANDPA (Portugal), CARACOL (Spain), THE TRAIL (South Africa) and CONTRE PLONGEE (Morocco).
During the coming weeks and months we encourage visitors to watch, rate, and comment on the films, as well as share them with others. The filmmakers appreciate the feedback. Stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter and News pages for updates on Filminute and the world of independent film.